The EC$5 polymer banknote will become available by September, and it will join other currencies such as the polymer EC$10, EC$20, EC$50, and EC$100 which are already in circulation. This was revealed by the Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), Timothy Antoine, at a media conference in Roseau.
Antoine noted that slight challenges associated with the circulation of the polymer notes are being resolved at the moment, and these include the roll-out of the currency in ATMs. “Those are being resolved but for the most part, the roll-out has gone smoothly in most of our countries, everything, including the ten-dollar note,” he stated.
While the polymer banknotes have been hailed as cleaner, safer, and more durable, the ECCB governor said they were designed and printed with the visually-impaired in mind. He disclosed that the blind can touch the left-hand top corner of the currency notes to feel the bumps which will aid their identification via touch. He said no one will be able to cheat the visually-impaired anymore because they will be able to identify each polymer banknote by feeling the bumps on them.
“They now feel empowered to spend their own money as opposed to being taken advantage of by people,” he said.
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